Narex Kuksa Cup Carving Set includes: Narex Double Edge Spoon Carving Tool, Narex Sloyd Carving Knife, and a Lime Kuksa Cup Blank - a perfect gift for anyone that wants a go at some wood carving and to produce something beautiful to use or gift on.
If purchased individually - £67.20
A Kuksa is a hand carved cup made by the Sami people of Finland that respects their ancestral traditions that can only be made by your own hands or be given to you.
Despite being lightweight, they are designed to be strong and functional used to gather berries and to eat from as well as to be used for drinking. Washing it may lose its lucky side, so the Sami would simply rinse it in the nearest stream or lake.
Tools traditionally used to carve your Kuksa from this roughed out blank would be a spoon knife and short bladed knife starting with hollowing the inside before shaping the outside. Once the shape is finished and sanded, it can be hardened using a natural neutral flavoured food safe oil including mineral oil, linseed or walnut. This will penetrate the wood pores to harden and solidify the surface against oxygen.
You should never: use dishwashing liquid on a kuksa, pour boiling water straight from the kettle into a kuksa, leave alcohol in your kuksa - even for a few hours, store in an airtight place - it needs to breath.
Narex Lime Wood Kuksa Blank
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Total length: 140mm approx
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Thickness: 48mm approx
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Bowl width: 75mm approx
- Made in Czechia
Narex Double Edge Spoon Carving Tool
Made from the same wonderful high carbon tool steel as their chisels and carving tools the shape is excellent with large bevels to multiply leverage so the cutting edge slices readily through the wood, the chunky solid beech handle fills the hand properly which reduces the tendency to grip it too tightly - a common cause of fatigue.
It can be used with either hand, most of the material removal is done across the grain, but having two cutting edges makes it easier to work with the grain for finishing cuts. Obviously care must be taken not to try and apply pressure with the thumb on the back of the blade - if you feel the need to do this then it is either time to sharpen or take lighter cuts (or both).
- Overall length: 175mm
- Blade radius: 14mm
- Handle length: 112mm
- Bevel: left & right
Narex Sloyd knife
This whittling knife is created to satisfy the needs of both amateur and professional woodcarvers, it is an absolute joy to work. This was designed specifically for wood carving, green woodworking and whittling; and they have got it absolutely spot on.
The thin pointed tip of the knife can be used for delicate wood cutting and allows working in tight areas of details. The rounded part of the blade allows cutting in shallow hollow areas (like spatulas and very shallow spoons) and can be used to make rolled, slicing cuts. The convex bevel increases tip strength and continues, correctly, all the way up to and in line with the handle, giving better leverage, much greater control and ultimately more safety.
The ergonomically oval section beech handle narrows and flattens near the blade so you can get your index finger right around the back of it, or pinch it, with a feel for where the blade is going. The butt end or pommel is nicely rounded to fit into the palm when cutting decorative patterns into a surface.
The cutting edge is very sharp making the cuts smooth and shiny, the convex grind is easy to maintain with a strop, or if necessary strips of abrasive pinched in the vice and pulled taut. The back of the blade is a full 2.9mm thick, providing a comfortable width to rest your thumb on, The blade is made of high-carbon steel treated to 62 HRc, which results in a tool that is suitable for both softwood and hardwood.
- Blade length: 55 mm
- Total length: 185 mm
Some finished shape examples:
